Achakzai assails govt for its ‘silence’ over assassination of Iran’s supreme leader

ISLAMABAD: The opposition leader in National Assembly, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the government for its glaring “silence” over the martyrdom of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in a targeted US-Israel strike last week.

Speaking on a point of order, Achakzai did not mince his words, expressing alarm at what he called the government’s “complicit silence” in the face of blatant Israeli-US aggression against Pakistan’s neighbour. “A spiritual leader has been martyred, yet we sit in mute surrender,” he said.

He tore into the House for failing to condemn the attack against Iran, asserting that a resolution against US and Israeli aggression should have been passed without delay.

Warning of a deepening governance crisis, he declared, “If the parliament is to function like this, the opposition will boycott its proceedings entirely.”

He cautioned that the region teeters on the brink of war, yet the National Assembly remains paralysed, taking no substantive action.

Achakzai further accused the government of ruling not by public mandate but through power and influence, branding it incapable of effective governance.

Turning to domestic woes, he slammed the recent Rs55 per litre increase in petrol and diesel prices, highlighting how opposition lawmakers were silenced by NA Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah when attempting to debate the issue.

“The opposition wants to expose the cruel hike in petroleum products, yet the Deputy Speaker abruptly adjourns the House, terrified of our scrutiny,” he added.

PTI MNA Junaid Akbar Khan echoed these concerns, lambasting the government’s handling of foreign and national security policy.

He alleged that critical decisions, including joining the controversial US President Donald Trump-led Board of Peace, were made in secrecy, bypassing parliamentary oversight.

Khan also claimed that Pakistan’s Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia was pushed through under US influence, warning that the country risks being dragged into another conflict under the guise of defending Saudi interests.

On the matter of Pakistani nationals in Iran, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry briefed the House, stating that over 2,000 students had been safely repatriated.

He assured the House that embassy and consular staff remained on high alert, with no reported harm to citizens.

Meanwhile, the House unanimously passed a resolution recognising the invaluable contributions of women to Pakistan’s social, political, and economic development.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026